BLOG TOUR: The Fandom

Q&A with Anna Day
author of The Fandom

What was the inspiration behind The Fandom?

You may already know this, but The Fandom combined two ideas. An idea by Angela McCann, in which a group of fans are transported into the world of their favorite story, and my own pre-existing novel entitled The Gallows Dance. So I feel like I need to break this question into two parts: the inspiration for my first novel, The Gallows Dance, and my inspiration for the final novel, The Fandom.

The Gallows Dance is a world in which mankind is divided into two camps, genetically enhanced, and non-genetically enhanced. This was inspired by my daughter’s birth. I just couldn’t bear the thought of her ever feeling not good enough, or feeling she had to change in order to be ‘perfect.’ I do feel our society is obsessed with perfection. We’re given a very narrow definition of beauty, and then pressured to adhere to it by altering our natural appearance. Often this is at a financial and more importantly, emotional, cost. There’s also huge pressure on young people to achieve at exams, and to be healthy, glowing citizens. This is obviously hugely damaging for people with Learning Disabilities and/or health issues. I wanted to highlight this obsession in my book. I guess I wanted to make the world a more accepting place for young people. I know a single book can’t change society, but you know, if it helps just one person feel more comfortable in their own skin, then I’m a happy lady!

The Gallows Dance was also inspired by my Psychology background. I’ve always been fascinated by group dynamics: the way one group lifts themselves up by shoving another group down. We’ve seen it throughout history, and it feels like we’re seeing it more now, and this breaks my heart. The way the genetically enhanced people subjugate and humiliate the non-genetically enhanced people was written to highlight this issue. Again, in the hope that raising awareness of an issue may help readers think and talk about it.

Which makes my book sound a bit soap boxy, but I really hope it isn’t!

The ‘fandom’ part of the book was obviously inspired by Angela McCann, as it was her idea. But during the actual plotting and writing of the book, I was just filled with my love of all things nerdy and fandom-ish. The world of the online fandom kind of passed me by due to my age, and the fact I was so focused on my career and family in my twenties and thirties. But I’ve always been obsessed with stories and bands and TV programmes. I have a list of embarrassing fandom stories. Just a taste: at ten, I painted a giant mural of Buddy Holly on my wall, it was terrifying, and in my early twenties, I held a Moulin Rouge mystery party, to which only four people came. So embracing all things fandom came so easily, and it was an absolute joy to indulge the part of myself who loves The Hunger Games andTwilight and Harry Potter.

Sorry, that was a long answer!

Who was your favourite character to write and why?

I loved all my characters, even Alice. But ultimately, it has to be Violet, the protagonist. I just connected with her so easily. Probably cos she reflects aspects of myself: she’s awkward, geeky and can’t climb trees, and she overthinks everything.

Do you belong to any fandoms and if so which ones?

The obvious ones, like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, though I tend to dip in and out depending on how busy I am and how much I need them. I actually have my own little fandom with my dad. We are a fandom of two. We love all the same bands and music and sci-fi. And we both obsess over stuff.

 If you ended up the main protagonist in YOUR favourite book how do you think you would react/adapt?

Well now I’m a Mum I think I’d be the super-organized annoying character who problem solved, carried a clipboard and provided healthy snacks. So basically, imagine Hermione Granger and make her a little more nurturing and snack-obsessed, and that would be me. I flatter myself, I’m sure. But in my head, I would be a middle-aged Hermione dishing out carrot sticks! Bring on the Dementors, cos I’ve got stable blood sugars.

What are the most rewarding and most challenging parts of writing a book?

One of the most challenging parts for me is fitting it all in. I’m a single mum with two young children, and I work part time as a psychologist. It means sometimes I can feel like I rush things and haven’t given it my best, and that can be frustrating. Another challenging part is just that screaming anxiety that everyone is going to hate my writing. I manage it with distraction and denial and by listening to my mum when she tells me I’m the best!

The most rewarding part for me is the actual writing itself, I love pouring myself on to a page, and sitting back and feeling like I’ve really built something with words. Okay, that is an actual lie, the best thing is having lovely people telling me they like my book.

When reading The Fandom I felt that there was an emphasis on strong female leads. What do you think are the main qualities that makes a strong female protagonist?

This is such a good question. I think just making them human. So don’t make them too brave or selfless or clever. They should be filled with self-doubt and difficulties and broken bits like the rest of us. It makes them more believable, but more importantly, easier to relate to. And then, when they do something really brave or selfless or clever, there’s more of a character arc, and we, as readers, can think,maybe I could do that. The reason I loved writing Violet so much was she was a bit feeble, physically and emotionally, just like me!

Pages: 416

Publisher: Chicken House

Publication Date: January 2018

THE FANDOM

by Anna Day

Cosplay ready, Violet and her friends are at Comic-Con.

They can’t wait to meet the fandom of mega movie, The Gallows Dance. What they’re not expecting is to be catapulted by freak accident into their favourite world – for real. Fuelled by love, guilt and fear, can the friends put the plot back on track and get out? The fate of the story is in their hands ...

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Make sure you keep an eye out for all things Fandom this month as there are plenty of posts coming your way! Check out the rest of the tour on the pages bellow and I hope you enjoyed the Q&A with the awesome Anna Day!! Last but not least, if you haven't already, go pick up your copy of The Fandom now. 

#jointhefandom

If you haven't already check out my review of The Fandom HERE

Dear Unpublished Me - Anna Day

This weeks Dear Unpublished Me post comes to you from the author of one of the most anticipated books of 2018 Anna Day! Anna grew up and still lives in the North East of England. She studied Psychology at university, and worked for several years as an Assistant Psychologist. She has always loved creative writing; even as a little girl she would staple pieces of paper together and write stories for her parents to read. However, she only started writing seriously a few years ago, and was noticed by the Chicken House team when she was shortlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition in 2015. Her greatest love is her children -- a little girl and a little boy, who provide her with constant entertainment and inspiration.

Dear Anna,

It’s autumn 2014. You’re on maternity leave with your second baby and, a few months ago, you lost your agent. You’ve printed off your novel The Gallows Dance and you want to post it to Chicken House in order to enter the Times/ Chicken House competition for unpublished authors. The deadline is tomorrow. You’ve just driven to your local post office and it’s closed. You’ve got a toddler and a baby in the car and you’re in the clutches of babydom: sleep-deprived, sore-breasted, sleep-deprived, banana down your top, and did I mention sleep-deprived? You have two options: drive to the post office in the next village, get the kids out the car, drag them into town, manage your toddler’s war-cries for chocolate, risk the baby waking up and screaming the place down and finally post your manuscript, or you can just go home.

I understand why you’re tempted by the latter option, the just going home option.

Your writing journey to this point, whilst relatively short, has not been smooth. You wrote a book whilst on maternity leave with your first baby (two books in fact, but the first one was TERRIBLE!) and managed to get an agent. She was awesome, full of life and ideas, and she really believed in you. But, not surprisingly, someone else thought she was awesome and offered her a job as an editor. Which she took. Hence, you became agentless.

She tried to help you get another agent, but The Gallows Dance was dystopia, and the blanket response, though positive about your writing, was ‘sorry, the dystopia market is saturated.’ You could not get your head around this. You LOVED dystopia, and had read every dystopian book you could get your hands on during both of your maternity leaves. It seemed people could get enough of a good thing. And now you’re left wondering if the post office’s annoyingly early closing time is a sign telling you to take the hint and give up on the dream of publication.

Another factor nagging at you while you sit in your car, massive envelope clutched in your hands, is the very realistic possibility of more rejection. Like I said, I know how tired you are, raising kids is amazing, but Christ, it’s hard work, and I remember too well those moments of fragility when reading yet another book-related email containing bad news. Could you really stomach another rejection?

I know you’re seriously considering driving home. But if you do, that may well be the end of your writing dream. You now have two children, not one. You’re back at work in a few months. Will you really find the motivation to write a whole new novel without an agent encouraging you and absolutely no guarantee of publication?

I understand why you’re tempted by the latter option, the just going home option. But here’s why you mustn’t:

The need to make sense of internal and external worlds with words, the need to connect with others through story-telling, the need to walk in someone else’s shoes entirely and share their journey, is in your blood. It’s why you became a Psychologist, and it’s why you must not give up on writing.

And when your marriage ends, you will need writing more than ever. It will give you a focus, a distraction, a way of rebuilding your self-esteem. It will model to your children that a single Mum can achieve her dreams. By doing what you love, achieving all you can be, you will show your children how to find happiness from within themselves.

It’s why you absolutely should not just drive home. It’s why you should haul the kids out of the car, drag them through town, deal with the chocolate-fuelled tantrums and the howling baby and post that manuscript if it bloody well kills you.

I promise it will be worth it.

Lots of love, 2017 Anna xxx

P.s. – You will totally crack and buy your toddler chocolate

Publisher: Chicken House

Publication Date: 4th January 2018

THE FANDOM

by Anna Day

Summary

Cosplay ready, Violet and her friends are at Comic-Con. 

They can’t wait to meet the fandom of mega movie, The Gallows Dance. What they’re not expecting is to be catapulted by freak accident into their favourite world – for real. Fuelled by love, guilt and fear, can the friends put the plot back on track and get out? The fate of the story is in their hands ...

A fast-paced, genre-flipping YA fantasy adventure from a brand new author, writing in homage to the best YA fiction. 

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